Artificial Intelligence and IoT – Interview with Eva Zauke from SAP

Our Get Started IoT Network is a regular meetup for all players in the IoT sector. Startups, established companies and decision makers working in this field get the chance to exchange ideas and make new contacts in order to fast forward the development of the Internet of Things. This year we are glad that SAP supports these events as our network partner.

Our next IoT network will take place at the Hanover Fair on April 25. Together with Eva Zauke (SAP), Frank Riemensperger (Accenture), Dr. Christian Thurau (Twenty Billion Neurons) and Marc Schmitt (Evetracker) we will discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence in the industry.

But why is AI at all such an important issue for the IoT sector? We talked to Eva Zauke (COO BU IoT & Digital Supply Chain at SAP, and Head of the SAP IoT Startup Accelerator) about that.

How do IoT and AI work together?

We’re at a turning point of the information age. The amount of data produced by our devices and sensors is massive and the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow. The Internet of Things enables our customers to extend their value chain to capture data where it occurs – at the devices. The data captured at the devices enriches the business processes of our customers with additional powerful insights about their value chains. These insights enable them to optimize business processes. Our customers become frontrunners in the digital transformation, extending their reach, gaining real-time visibility across their value chain and delivering powerful responses to business challenges. Turning this data into actionable insights and reaching new levels of sophistication and efficiency will require Artificial Intelligence (AI). IoT is basically the basis for AI.

Where are the opportunities?

Machine learning and the larger world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are no longer the stuff of science fiction. They’re here – and many businesses are already taking advantage. As a new breed of software that is able to learn without being explicitly programmed, machine learning (and deep learning) can access, analyze, and find patterns in Big Data in a way that is beyond human capabilities. The business advantages are huge, and the market is expected to be worth $47 billion by 2020.

What does this all mean?

Regardless of what industry you’re in, the potential for Artificial Intelligence is huge. Machine learning and rule-based analysis can benefit you greatly from finding new ways to reduce costs, create efficiency, and to optimize working environments. With more and more aspects of our lives and work generating vast amounts of data with IoT, it is inevitable that Artificial Intelligence will contextualize the data and extract meaningful insights so that companies can make better decisions and improve their bottom line.

Eva Zauke Foto: SAP/Charles Yunck

What are examples where IoT and AI can help transform industries?

Companies in the energy sector can use Artificial Intelligence to sift through vast datasets to predict and adapt to certain scenarios. They can reduce operational costs and mitigate issues proactively. Machine-learning technology can also bring huge benefits to the healthcare industry – dedicating early forms of cancer or disease to analyzing MRI scans — essentially anything that’s data driven. AI technology is being used to look at financial models to achieve greater levels of trend analysis, predict future pricing patterns, identify new markets, and assess supply chain risks. By placing sensors on everything from streetlights to mountains, and then applying AI to all that data, we can build more livable cities, reduce poverty, prevent crime, and understand climate change.

How can Artificial Intelligence and IoT help in an industrial environment?

Our perspective is literally everything will have IoT technology and artificial intelligence. These technologies willeventually touch nearly every industry on the planet. In every industry, there are a myriad of interconnecting inputs and variables. Analyzing this complex data to derive meaningful value is often overwhelming, inhibiting our ability to find adequate solutions in a timely manner. Unlocking these complex scenarios such as how humans are likely to behave and interact can create opportunities.

What are your recommendations for companies applying IoT and AI?

Clearly, you do not have to apply IoT and AI because everyone is talking about it and you have to follow the hype. First step should always be your business goal. Technology can then help you achieve these goals. From there, think big but start small. Starting could possibly be with a prototype you build together with one of our startups and us at the SAP IoT Startup Accelerator. Obviously, a place like Hanover Fair or our SAP IoT event Leonardo Live are also good opportunities to see what is out there and to talk to experts who can help apply the solutions to your cases.